Former Stockbridge school adjustment counselor charged with student rapes

GREAT BARRINGTON -- A man who worked as an adjustment counselor at the former Stockbridge Plain School has been charged with raping and sexually assaulting three pre-teen students there in the mid-2000s.

The assaults on the females allegedly took place between 2003 and 2005 at the school on Main Street. Scott M. Muir, 36, of Church Street, Stockbridge, was employed there as an adjustment counselor from September 2002 to June 2007.

According to Berkshire District Attorney David F. Capeless, the investigation isn’t over.

"We believe that there may be other victims who will come forward, and we urge anyone with information to contact the Berkshire Detective Unit of the state police at (413) 499-1112," Capeless said in a statement.

Muir was arraigned Thursday in Southern Berkshire District Court on three counts of rape of a child with force and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. The assaults allegedly took place between 2003 and 2005. The girl is now 16, according to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office.

Muir also entered not guilty pleas to two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and one count of attempt to commit a crime -- indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. The assaults are alleged to have occurred in 2003 and 2004 and involved a girl who is now 18.

Muir also pleaded not guilty to one count of rape of a child with force and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.

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The charges are from 2003 and 2004 and involved a girl who is now 17.

Berkshire Hills Regional School District Superintendent Peter Dillon, who was not employed by the district at the time of the alleged incidents, said he didn’t believe the end of Muir’s tenure with the district had anything to do with these allegations.

Dillon said Muir was laid off as part of a reorganization within the district following the closing of the Stockbridge Plain School. The building is now used as the Stockbridge town offices and the administrative offices for Berkshire Hills.

"I don’t know all the details, but we’re most concerned about the well-being of our students and want to be really careful and attentive to that," said Dillon. "As the investigation goes on, we’ll cooperate with the authorities."

Muir also serves in a number of civic roles for the town. He is the emergency management director, facilities manager for the town offices, a captain for the fire department and a member of the Board of Health.

Town Administrator Jorja Ann P. Marsden declined to comment on Muir’s future status in any of those roles.

Judge Bethzaida Sanabria-Vega released Muir on $10,000 cash or $100,000 surety bail on the condition he wear a GPS monitor, not have contact with the alleged victims or their families, and have no unsupervised contact with children under 16.

Muir is due back in court for a pretrial conference on May 3.

The investigation was conducted by state police detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s Office.

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